The 25 Best Places to Visit in the World in 2026

Every January the travel world publishes its lists, and every year the same question arrives in our inbox from someone in London, Sydney, Toronto or Copenhagen: of all the places on earth, where should I actually spend my one big trip this year? We run treks in the Nepal Himalaya, so we are hardly neutral. But we also spend our lives talking to travellers who have just come from Patagonia, or are flying on to Japan, or debating whether 2026 is finally the year for the fjords. This is our honest, worldly attempt at that list.

It is a genuine global list — cities, coastlines, deserts, islands and mountains across six continents — ranked by one simple test: is there a real reason to go in 2026 specifically? A once-in-a-generation event, a reopening, an anniversary, a rare window of good value or good weather. Nepal sits at the top because we believe it earns the spot, and because 2026 is shaping up to be one of the best Himalayan seasons in years. Read on and you will find we are quietly funnelling you toward the mountains — but only after giving you 24 other places worth your annual leave.

1. Nepal — the Himalaya (Everest, Annapurna & Manaslu)

No landscape on the planet rearranges your sense of scale like the Nepal Himalaya. Eight of the world's fourteen peaks above 8,000 metres stand inside this one small country, and you do not need to be a mountaineer to walk among them — you need two good weeks, a reasonable level of fitness and a guide who knows the trails. That is exactly why Nepal leads our list for 2026: it delivers the single most humbling scenery on earth, on foot, at a price that still undercuts a week in the Alps.

The two great classics remain the reason most people come. The Everest Base Camp trek is the pilgrimage — Lukla's cliff-edge airstrip, the Sherpa heartland of the Khumbu, the sunrise from Kala Patthar with Everest itself filling the sky. Our 14-day Everest Base Camp Trek runs from US$1,850 per person as a solo trekker, dropping to US$1,350 per person in a group of eight or more. If you would rather have your knees carry you up and a machine carry you down, the region also works as a scenic flight; either way, start with our Everest region guide. The Annapurna Base Camp trek, meanwhile, is the more forgiving cousin — greener, more culturally varied, and reachable on a shorter timetable. Our compact 6-day Annapurna Base Camp Trek starts at US$695 per person solo and US$505 per person in a group of eight or more, and the wider Annapurna region guide lays out every variation.

What makes 2026 particularly worth booking is the shift toward quieter, wilder routes. The Manaslu Circuit — a restricted-area teahouse trek around the world's eighth-highest mountain — has become the connoisseur's answer to the busier trails, and our 14-day Manaslu Circuit Trek runs from US$2,100 per person solo down to US$1,550 per person in a group of eight or more. If your time is short, the classic Ghorepani Poon Hill trek from US$380 per person delivers a full Annapurna-and-Dhaulagiri sunrise in three days, while the mediaeval walled kingdom of Upper Mustang — our 12-day Upper Mustang Trek from US$2,400 per person — feels like trekking into Tibet without leaving Nepal.

The practicalities are refreshingly simple. Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) give the clearest skies and most stable weather, with April and late October–November the sweet spots; our month-by-month best time to trek Nepal guide breaks it down region by region. Most nationalities get a tourist visa on arrival in Kathmandu — see our Nepal visa guide — and trekking permits are now largely online, explained in the 2026 permits guide and the permits hub. If you are weighing the two headline treks against each other, how hard Everest Base Camp really is and Manaslu vs Annapurna are the two comparisons we send people most often, and a realistic two-week Nepal itinerary shows how it all fits together. Wondering where to base yourself between flights and trails? Our Kathmandu vs Pokhara piece settles it. For the wider case, see the 10 best places to visit in Nepal.

2. Japan — beyond the Golden Route

Japan has been the most-wanted destination on earth for three years running, and 2026 is the year to finally go deeper than Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. With the classic "Golden Route" straining under record arrivals, the smart move is the country's quieter corners: the art islands of the Seto Inland Sea, the snow country of the Japan Alps, the onsen towns of Tohoku, and the subtropical beaches of Okinawa. Spring cherry blossom (late March–April) and autumn foliage (November) remain the marquee seasons, but a shoulder-season trip rewards you with far thinner crowds. For hikers, Japan's mountain culture — the Kumano Kodo pilgrim trails, the Northern Alps — makes a natural companion to a Himalayan year.

3. Italy — the Dolomites and a Winter Olympics

Italy always belongs on a world list, but 2026 gives it a specific pull: the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics run 6–22 February 2026, the most geographically spread-out Winter Games in history, staged across Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Bormio, Livigno and Verona. Even if you skip the sport, the spotlight lands squarely on the Dolomites — arguably the most beautiful mountains in Europe and a bucket-list hiking region in summer. Go in February for the Games, or wait for June–September, when the Alta Via long-distance routes open up and the limestone towers glow pink at sunset. Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast are, of course, eternal.

4. Patagonia — Chile and Argentina

At the bottom of the Americas, Patagonia is the closest thing the hiking world has to a rival for Nepal's drama, and it tops many a serious trekker's life list alongside the Himalaya. Torres del Paine in Chile and the Fitz Roy massif around El Chaltén in Argentina deliver granite spires, calving glaciers and turquoise lakes on a scale that empties the superlatives. The catch is timing: the southern summer, roughly November to March, is your only sensible window, and the famous wind is real. If Patagonia is on your radar, our ranking of the best treks in the world puts it in context against the Himalayan giants.

5. Norway — the fjords and the Arctic light

Norway is the answer for travellers who want raw nature with world-class infrastructure. The western fjords — Geiranger, Nærøyfjord, the Lofoten Islands — combine sheer walls, waterfalls and tiny red fishing villages, all reachable by ferry and rail. Summer brings the midnight sun and prime hiking on trails like Trolltunga and Besseggen; winter brings the northern lights above Tromsø. It is expensive, but it is also one of the safest, most effortless wilderness experiences on the planet — a fine warm-up, in spirit, for a bigger mountain year.

6. New Zealand — the Great Walks

Few countries pack as much scenery into as little space as New Zealand. The South Island alone offers the Southern Alps, Fiordland's Milford Sound, and a network of superbly maintained "Great Walks" — the Routeburn, the Milford, the Kepler — that are among the best-organised multi-day hikes anywhere. The southern summer (December–February) is peak season and books out months ahead, so 2026 planning starts now. For anyone building a hiking-led year, New Zealand pairs beautifully with Nepal; see how the world's hiking nations stack up in our best countries for hiking guide.

7. Iceland — fire, ice and fewer crowds in the north

Iceland remains the most accessible dose of raw geology in the world: waterfalls, glaciers, black-sand beaches and steaming geothermal fields, all within a few hours of Reykjavík. The move for 2026 is to escape the crowded south coast for the Westfjords and the north around Akureyri, where the landscapes are just as dramatic and the roads far emptier. Come in summer for the endless daylight and highland F-roads, or in the dark months for the aurora and ice caves.

8. Peru — Machu Picchu and the Andes

Machu Picchu is the destination that made "trek to a lost city" a mainstream idea, and it still delivers. The classic Inca Trail (book permits months ahead — they cap and sell out) and the higher, wilder Salkantay route both end at the same jaw-dropping citadel, while Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Lake Titicaca round out a fortnight. The dry season runs May to September. Altitude is a genuine factor here, just as it is in Nepal — which is why acclimatisation, not fitness, is usually the deciding factor on high treks.

9. Morocco — imperial cities and the High Atlas

Morocco is one of the great value destinations for 2026: a short hop from Europe, endlessly photogenic, and remarkably varied. Marrakech's souks, Fes's mediaeval medina, the blue lanes of Chefchaouen and the dunes of the Sahara are the headline acts, but the High Atlas — Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak, and the Berber villages beneath it — make Morocco a genuine trekking destination too. Spring and autumn are ideal; summer belongs to the coast at Essaouira.

10. Kenya and Tanzania — the East African safari

For wildlife, nothing rivals East Africa. The Great Migration — roughly two million wildebeest and zebra crossing the Serengeti and Maasai Mara — is one of the planet's genuine natural spectacles, with the dramatic Mara River crossings usually falling between July and October. Add Ngorongoro Crater, the elephants of Amboseli beneath Kilimanjaro, and the option to climb Kilimanjaro itself, and you have a trip that stands beside any mountain year for sheer awe.

11. Vietnam — coast to karst

Vietnam packs an extraordinary range into one long, thin country: the limestone karsts of Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh, the lantern-lit old town of Hoi An, the terraced rice hills around Sapa (excellent low-altitude trekking), and some of the best street food on earth. It is superb value, easy to travel independently, and ideal for a slower three weeks. The best weather window shifts north to south, so the country rewards a bit of route planning.

12. Portugal — the affordable Atlantic

Portugal has quietly become one of Europe's most beloved destinations, and for good reason: Lisbon and Porto's tiled hills, the wine terraces of the Douro, the wild surf beaches of the Alentejo, and the volcanic drama of the Azores and Madeira far out in the Atlantic. Madeira in particular is a hiker's secret, laced with levada water-channel trails. It stays warm well into autumn and remains gentler on the wallet than most of Western Europe.

13. Slovenia — Europe's green heart

Slovenia is the small country that overdelivers: Lake Bled's island church, the emerald Soča River, the caves of the Karst, and the Julian Alps crowned by Mount Triglav. It is compact enough to see in a week, walkable, safe and still uncrowded compared with the Alpine giants next door. For travellers who want mountains and lakes without the queues, 2026 is a fine time to go before the word spreads further.

14. Canada — the Rockies and a World Cup summer

2026 is a landmark sporting year for North America, with the FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico in June and July drawing millions across the continent. If football is not your reason to travel, Canada's real prize is the Rockies — Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper — where turquoise glacial lakes sit beneath serrated peaks and the hiking is world-class from July to September. Vancouver Island and the wildlife of the Pacific coast make a natural add-on.

15. Georgia — the Caucasus frontier

Tucked between Europe and Asia, Georgia is one of travel's genuine up-and-comers: ancient hilltop monasteries, a famous wine culture that stretches back eight thousand years, and the soaring Caucasus mountains around Kazbegi and the remote, tower-studded valleys of Svaneti. The trekking is superb and still wonderfully wild, the food is a revelation, and prices remain low. Summer (June–September) is the season for the high country.

16. Namibia — the desert on a grand scale

Namibia is the earth stripped back to its essentials: the towering red dunes of Sossusvlei, the ghostly camelthorn trees of Deadvlei, the wildlife of Etosha's salt pan, and the eerie Skeleton Coast. It is one of Africa's safest, easiest self-drive countries, with some of the darkest night skies on the planet. The dry winter months (May–October) concentrate wildlife around waterholes and keep the roads reliable.

17. Jordan — Petra and Wadi Rum

Jordan delivers three of the Middle East's signature experiences in one small, welcoming country: the rose-red rock city of Petra, the Martian desert of Wadi Rum, and a float in the Dead Sea. The multi-day Jordan Trail has also put the country on the serious hiking map. Spring and autumn are ideal; the sense of walking straight into antiquity is unmatched. It is proof that a "best of the world" year need not be all mountains.

18. Bhutan — the last Himalayan kingdom

If Nepal is the Himalaya opened up, Bhutan is the Himalaya kept deliberately rare. A daily sustainable-development fee keeps visitor numbers low and the culture intact, and the reward is a country of fortress-monasteries, prayer flags and the cliff-clinging Tiger's Nest. The reopened Trans Bhutan Trail now lets you walk between valleys the old way. It is the natural second act for anyone who falls for the Nepal Himalaya and wants to go further into the range.

19. Finland — Oulu, a Capital of Culture

Finland earns its 2026 slot: Oulu is a European Capital of Culture for 2026, throwing a year-long programme of arts, music and Arctic festivals in a city that blends technology with genuine wilderness on its doorstep. Beyond the events, Finnish Lapland is the home of the northern lights, husky sledding, and the world's most serene saunas. Come in winter for the aurora and snow, or in summer for the endless light and the lake country.

20. Colombia — the comeback coast

Colombia has completed one of the great tourism turnarounds, and 2026 is a confident time to visit: the colonial colour of Cartagena, the coffee-farm hills of the Zona Cafetera, the vibrant reinvention of Medellín, and the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. The Lost City (Ciudad Perdida) trek through the jungle of the Sierra Nevada offers a Machu-Picchu-style reward for those who like their history at the end of a trail.

21. Scotland — Highlands and a Commonwealth summer

Scotland returns to the world stage in 2026 as Glasgow hosts the Commonwealth Games in late July, a natural anchor for a Highlands trip. The West Highland Way, the Isle of Skye's Cuillin ridge, and the glens and lochs of the north offer some of Britain's finest walking, while Edinburgh's festivals and the whisky trails fill the rest. Long summer daylight makes June to August the prime window.

22. Australia — the Red Centre and the reef

Australia rewards the long-haul effort with genuine one-of-a-kind sights: the monolith of Uluru glowing at dawn in the Red Centre, the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland, and the wine-and-coast rhythm of the south. New multi-day walking experiences around Uluru and along the coasts have deepened its appeal for active travellers. Given the flying time, it pairs well with a stopover in Asia — including, naturally, a Himalayan detour.

23. Croatia — the quieter Adriatic

Croatia's walled cities and island-hopping have made it a summer favourite, but the 2026 move is inland and north: the Istrian peninsula, sometimes called "the Tuscany of Croatia," where hilltop towns, truffle forests and vineyards meet a gentle Adriatic coast with a fraction of Dubrovnik's crowds. Plitvice Lakes' cascading pools remain a national-park highlight. Late spring and early autumn dodge both the heat and the peak-season crush.

24. Greenland — the last great wilderness

With new international flights making it more reachable than ever, Greenland is having its moment. Icebergs the size of cathedrals drift past Ilulissat, the Arctic light is otherworldly, and the sense of standing at the edge of the inhabited world is total. It is a place for travellers who measure a trip by silence and scale rather than checklists — which, in a way, is the same instinct that draws people to the high Himalaya.

25. Egypt — a Grand Museum finally open

Egypt closes our list on a genuine 2026 headline: the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza pyramids has fully opened, uniting the complete treasures of Tutankhamun in one building for the first time. Combine it with a Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan and the temples of the Valley of the Kings, and you have one of civilisation's greatest stories told end to end. Autumn to spring is the comfortable season.

So where should you actually go in 2026?

If you want beaches, culture and easy logistics, the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia entries above will not let you down. If 2026 is the year you want a trip that genuinely changes your sense of scale — the kind you talk about for the rest of your life — it is hard to argue with the mountains. That is why Nepal tops our list, and why we spend our days walking these trails rather than writing about anywhere else.

When you are ready to turn inspiration into a plan, start with the pieces that do the heavy lifting: the best treks in the world, the best countries for hiking, and — for the trip itself — our best places to visit in Nepal, the best time to trek, and a ready-made two-week Nepal itinerary. Whichever of the twenty-five you choose, choose it because 2026 gives you a reason to go now. The mountains, at least, are not getting any younger — and neither are we.